RE: Why I do my own work .....

[Anton <anton_gaidos@mentorg.com>]

 Well that makes me feel  a lot better Jeff. Actually I had looked at some
83's before I got my '85 that were in a lot worse shape with rust and electrical
problems for more money. I paid $7k for my car and because I had done a
little home work before I actually bought it I pretty much knew what I was in for.
I just figured I'd spend years fixing these things but ended wanting to take it on
vacation which ment taking months instead.
 So far nothing has been a surprise but typical. As I dug into the car I kept my
fingers crossed that this or that might be okay but when I found things broken
or worn out I just wrote it off as quirks of the breed. 
 I'm into it for about $11k but still well worth it to me. I simply wanted one of these
cars and I was willing to except the cost. What I was looking for in my car was
originality. I had considered a few that had already been worked on or modified
but I wanted one that needed to be worked on-a guy's got to have his projects!
 When I go looking for daily drivers I am much more picking about functionality
then originality.
 Good luck on that house purchase! That is some real good news.
Anton

Anton J. Gaidos, III
Mentor Graphics, Silicon Valley Headquarters
San Jose, Ca.

-----Original Message-----
From:	Jeffrey J. Goggin [SMTP:audidudi@mindspring.com]
Sent:	Tuesday, July 14, 1998 6:50 PM
To:	quattro@coimbra.ans.net
Cc:	anton_gaidos
Subject:	RE: Why I do my own work .....

>Let this be a bit of wisdom for those who dream of owning a ur-quattro. =
>If you cannot do 90% of the work yourself get a second job, play lotto =
>or wait before having kids. I have already spent $2700 the last three =
>months and aside from the cost of sending parts out for repair that =
>price tag was with me doing all the labor. Now I can tack on another =
>$1500 (I talked them down from $1800) to boot. Keep in mind I was =
>certain I could get the whole project done for $1500 but now I have a =
>total price tag of $4200. Had I not been able to do nearly all the =
>wrenching that price tag might well be over $6000. The real bummer with =
>this is it doesn't even cover things like fixing ripped seats, broken =
>headlight frames, paint, struts, etc.

Not to single you out but this is one of the reasons why the initial
purchase price isn't as important as the car's overall condition ... for the
money you've spent on your '85 so far, you probably could have bought one in
much better condition, both mechanically and cosmetically.  For a car in the
right condition, I'm happy to pay over book because in my experience, it's
almost always cheaper in the long run.  Mind you, I've put a few bucks into
my '85 since I bought it as well and it has half the mileage that yours does...

>Is it all worth it? I'll tell you in three weeks

Absolutely!  Even though mine is sitting in the garage at the moment, with
the head off, I still enjoy owning it!  Just looking at it is a thrill for
me...  :^)

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